This portable light is great for way more than camping

It’s intended for camping, but BougeRV’s T1 light is so versatile that it also makes for a great summer travel companion that’ll continue to light the dark corners of your life long after you return. I used it for a few months during a recent road trip in my camper van, and it’s the light I keep reaching for again and again now that I’m home.

The telescoping light features three articulating LED arms that together direct up to 3,000 lumens of white, warm, or red light in any direction you want. It can illuminate an area over 1,000 square feet and function as a flashlight, a mood light, and a 57Wh USB-C power bank that can deliver up to 30W to your phone or even a laptop in a pinch.

The T1 is an upgrade to the BougeRV camping light I reviewed last year. It extends to over 5.5 feet (168cm) to easily illuminate a campsite, workspace, or engine block, and its IPX5 rating should let it survive a thunderstorm if you leave it outside.

This BougeRV light is so useful that I keep it in a seat pocket by the door of my van — a holy spot reserved for gadgets I need to quickly access both inside and outside with ease. Here’s how I’ve used the T1 camping light in nearly six months of testing:

It lit this campsite for an outdoor movie night.

It helped me assemble this bike.

It helped power my laptop at a cafe where I wrote this review.

It helped my creepy friend renovate his caravan.

It helped me inspect this subfloor after a water leak.

With the base retracted it fit into this tight space to help me clean this sandy bathroom.

The hook made it easy to check the fluids in my van.

The long telescoping arm helped me look for damage after a little off-roading.

The flashlight helped me get home.

And set the mood upon my return.

The only thing this light lacks is a magnetic base to quickly attach it to metal surfaces. Its biggest downside is the plasticky-ness of it all — and the price. The BougeRV T1 telescopic camping light lists for $119.99, but is often discounted to $84.99, which I think is a bargain for this do-it-all light.

Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge